Google Rap Videos: Gettin’ Googley Wit’ It!

In Chapter 19, I share tips for making your company a great story as a means to stimulate word of mouth. One of the tactics I discuss is the $2 bill strategy inspired by Ian Sohn of Ogilvy.

The basic idea is to stock your cash register with $2 bills and give people a reason to tell others about their experience at your store. This concept has legs well beyond retail though. It’s all about making your brand memorable and worth sharing.

With that in mind, I’ve developed my $2 bill as pictured above. In the center is my alter-ego, The Lyrical G (fka A Katt), who’s known to drop rhymes on a dime — or, in this case, 20 dimes.

Check out this video we shot to promote the book and keep an eye out for a guest appearance at 3:10…

Yes, folks, that’s 100% legit on-the-spot improvisational freestyle after the line about the “cat in the pleather hatter.” And, yes, that Raiders visor is 100% pleather (plastic leather). No, I really don’t know why I own it.

Naturally, we ran a few takes of the rap so that we’d have some options to choose from for the final video. Some of them were so wacky that we just had to create an outtakes file. Here are some highlights from the cutting room floor…

And here’s more of the Goog stuff…

As I hit the circuit to promote my book over the coming months, I plan to bust out a Googley rap at the end of each presentation. To see how I fare, subscribe to the Googely Lessons YouTube Channel, created by Matt Ballek, video marketing rockstar, where we’ll be posting all the live material. (Yes, I realized Googley is misspelled but YT wouldn’t allow a username with Google in it.) And keep an eye on this page for Google rap video related updates.

Update: Looks like we’ve got a bona-fide catch-phrase in “Cash money, baby!” Now all we need is a “Cash money, baby!” baby! Cue my daughter, Eliara…

Do you have a Cash Money Baby?

Film your child, niece, nephew, cousin or random kid at the park saying “Cash money, baby!“ Then upload it to YouTube as a reply to this video or share the link in the comments here and it’ll be featured on my YouTube Channel.

Update #2: More videos about the book and special guest appearances by Tha Lryical G can be found on the Googley Lessons blog tour…

Update Oct. 2010: Live from SES Chicago, here’s the full Googley Lessons rap, covering all 20 chapters…

Update Dec. 2010: Here’s another version of the full Googley Lessons Rap with some some twists and turns along the way. Live from Catalyst Ranch…

Update March 2011: Taking things to a whole new level with the Ultimate SEO PPC Rap Battle featuring the SEO Rapper vs. me, the PPC MC, culminating live at the Search Insider Summit in Captiva.

Update Nov. 2011:

Here’s a well-”liked” rap to close my presentation at OMS Chicago…

Update Apr. 2012:

After getting beat by Chuck in the Ultimate SEO PPC Rap Battle, I decided to set up a battle I couldn’t lose! Here I am as Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg battling Larry Page and Sergey Brin at the end of my ad:tech San Francisco session.

Update June 6, 2012:

Going off after my session at Internet Retailer Conference and Expo:

Update June 22, 2012:

Here’s a little flourish I added to the finish of my presentation at the SIM Partners SIMpoisum: